Universal switch plate indicating assembly

ABSTRACT

Each rotary switch plate assembly consists of a circular base plate, with central perforation for the switch shaft and bushing. The base plate is marked with radiated lines representing the full number of angular switch steps in 360* of switching operation. A circular face plate of transparent plastic and of the same dimensions as the base plate is fastened to the external face of the base plate. The rear surface of the face plate is furnished covered by removable opaque segments of adhesive backed plastic film. The segments of opaque film, representing the actual switch steps employed in a given installation, are removed from the back of the face plate to give visibility to the markings of the base plate governing the segments of operation of the rotary switch of the installation.

[4 1March 13, 1973 UNIVERSAL SWITCH PLATE INDICATING ASSEMBLY Edward S. Arnold, Oshawa, Ontario, Canada [75] Inventor:

[73] Assignee: The Raymond Lee Organization,

Inc., New York, NY. a part interest [22] Filed: May 11,1972

[2]] Appl. No.: 252,215

[58] Field of Search ..200/167 R, 167 A; 116/124, 116/129, 133

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,617,381 11/1952 lnsul ..200/167 R X 2,438,431 3/1948 Doucette ..200/167 R 2,918,555 12/1959 Lindberg ..200/167 A Anderson ..200/167 R X Harman ..200/167 A X Primary Examiner-H. 0. Jones Attorney-Howard I. Podell [57] ABSTRACT Each rotary switch plate assembly consists of a circular base plate, with central perforation for the switch shaft and bushing. The base plate is marked with radiated lines representing the full number of angular switch steps in 360 of switching operation. A circular face plate of transparent plastic and of the same dimensions as the base plate is fastened to the external face of the base plate. The rear surface of the face plate is furnished covered by removable opaque segments of adhesive backed plastic film. The segments of opaque film, representing the actual switch steps employed in a given installation, are removed from the back of the face plate to give visibility to the markings of the base plate governing the segments of operation of the rotary switch of the installation.

7 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures UNIVERSAL SWITCH PLATE INDICATING ASSEMBLY SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a switch plate assembly for indicating the operating segments of a rotary switch, and particularly for a standard switch plate assembly which will replace a large number of the conventional switch plates used at present.

An object of this invention is to reduce the large number of conventional standard switch plates by the use of the invention in which six types of rotary switch plate assemblies replace sixty eight conventional standard type switch plates for rotary switches.

In my invention, each switch base plate is marked with the full number of switch steps involved in 360 of rotation, with a transparent face plate which covers the base plate, said face plate being covered by an opaque film over those segments of the base plate which are not valid operating stations of the installed rotary switch. Thus in my invention, one fifteen degree plate assembly replaces 23 conventional plates, one 20 plate assembly replaces 1'7 conventional plates, one 30 plate assembly replaces 11 conventional plates, one 36 plate assembly replaces 9 conventional plates, one sixty degree plate assembly replaces conventional plates, and one ninety degree plate assembly replaces 3 conventional plates. In summary, six plate assemblies conforming to my invention replace 68 conventional switch plates. The savings inherent in such standardization of one size plate are multiplied by the existing number of sizes of each switch plate type required by industry.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING The objects and features of the invention may be understood with reference to the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment of the invention, taken together with the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of the components making up the assembly of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the invention assembled for use as a five station face plate with 20 segments; I

FIG. 3 is a plan face plate for use with segmented stations of the associated rotary switch;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of a 30 segmented face plate;

FIG. 5 is a plan view of a 36 segmented face plate;

FIG. 6 is a plan view of a 60 segmented face plate; and

FIG. 7 is a plan view of a 90 segmented face plate.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Turning now descriptively to the drawing, in which similar reference characters denote similar elements throughout the several views, FIG. 1 illustrates the component parts of the switch plate assembly consisting of base plate 10, face plate which both mount about the switch shaft and bushing which fits through central hole 15 of the assembly.

Base plate 10 is marked off in radial lines 11 representing twenty degree segments of switching, with the radial line 11 representing the rest point of the switch knob when it is set at the switching position marked with numeral 12 or OFF designation 13.

The back of the face plate 20 IS covered WltII segments of opaque film 28, which are removable. In FIG. 1, the switch plate assembly has been prepared for a five station rotary switch with an OFF station and with switch positions 1, 2, 3, and 4. Consequently the strip 32 of five segments 29 of opaque film 28 have been removed from the back of the face plate 20 leaving the remainder of the opaque film 28 in place to cover the unused stations five through l7 of the base plate 10.

FIG. 2 illustrates the complete assembled switch plate 25 indicated in FIG. 1.

The face plate 35 of a 24 station switch plate with opaque film segments 30 separated by 15 adjacent radial cuts 31 is shown in FIG. 3, with FIG. 4 illustrating a 12 station face plate 45 with opaque film segments separated by adjacent radial cuts 41 oriented at a 30 angle to each other. FIG. 5 illustrates a 10 station face plate 55, with adjacent radial cuts 51 in opaque film segments 50 of 36. FIG. 6 illustrates a six station switch face 65 with adjacent radial cuts 61 in the opaque film 60 oriented at sixty degrees and FIG. 7 illustrates a four station switch plate 75 with right angle segments of the opaque film 70 separated by perpendicular radial cuts 71.

Since obvious changes may be made in the specific embodiment of the invention described herein, it is indicated that all matter contained herein is intended as illustrative and not as limiting in scope.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A switch plate assembly for indicating the position of the switching lever of a rotary switch, said switch plate assembly being adaptable for use with a rotary switch of 360 of switch operation or less, said switch plate assembly consisting of a base plate which is marked in full segments of 360 of switching operation,

and a transparent face plate which is adaptable for mounting over the base plate, said face plate being covered on one face by an opaque film which is cut into equi-angle pie-shaped segments, the individual segments of said opaque film being removable so as to make visible, where removed, the marked segments of the base plate which represents the actual operating positions of the switching lever of the rotary switch associated with said switch plate assembly.

2. The combination recited in claim 1 in which the base plate is marked in four equal segments.

3. The combination recited in claim 1 in which the base plate is marked in six equal segments.

4. The combination recited in claim 1 in which the base plate is marked in 10 equal segments.

5. The combination recited in claim 1 in which the base plate is marked in 12 equal segments.

6. The combination recited in claim 1 in which the base plate is marked in 18 equal segments.

7. The combination recited in claim 1 in which the base plate is marked in 24 equal segments. 

1. A switch plate assembly for indicating the position of the switching lever of a rotary switch, said switch plate assembly being adaptable for use with a rotary switch of 360* of switch operation or less, said switch plate assembly consisting of a base plate which is marked in full segments of 360* of switching operation, and a transparent face plate which is adaptable for mounting over the base plate, said face plate being covered on one face by an opaque film which is cut into equi-angle pie-shaped segments, the individual segments of said opaque film being removable so as to make visible, where removed, the marked segments of the base plate which represents the actual operating positions of the switching lever of the rotary switch associated with said switch plate assembly.
 1. A switch plate assembly for indicating the position of the switching lever of a rotary switch, said switch plate assembly being adaptable for use with a rotary switch of 360* of switch operation or less, said switch plate assembly consisting of a base plate which is marked in full segments of 360* of switching operation, and a transparent face plate which is adaptable for mounting over the base plate, said face plate being covered on one face by an opaque film which is cut into equi-angle pieshaped segments, the individual segments of said opaque film being removable so as to make visible, where removed, the marked segments of the base plate which represents the actual operating positions of the switching lever of the rotary switch associated with said switch plate assembly.
 2. The combination recited in claim 1 in which the base plate is marked in four equal segments.
 3. The combination recited in claim 1 in which the base plate is marked in six equal segments.
 4. The combination recited in claim 1 in which the base plate is marked in 10 equal segments.
 5. The combination recited in claim 1 in which the base plate is marked in 12 equal segments.
 6. The combination recited in claim 1 in which the base plate is marked in 18 equal segments. 